More Organics

With winter comes ice, a dangerous situation for pleasant pedestrians on your walkways.  All de-icers, even the “green ones,” have a salt in them.  The harm that de-icers and salts do you your vegetation and the little paws of pups may not be worth it:  burning your plants, building up in the soil, eventually making it’s way to ground water and taking leached heavy metals with it.

Some options:

• Elbow Grease-get out there as soon as the snow has fallen
• Sand-this will make the slick spots visible and give you some traction
• Bird Seed Millet-visible and a little snack for our feathered friends, avoiding drives would be best
• Boots with Traction-getting a good pair of snow boots with soles made for ice will help you from a slip-n-fall

If you happen to live on a street where trucks spit salt during the winter months, it would be wise to make a burlap fence to protect trees and shrubs from the salt thrower’s path.

Living in the Midwest, we are blessed with the Great Lakes.  A huge resource, that sometimes, we forget is here.  Yesterday, on WBEZ’s 848 , they spoke with Loreen Niewenhuis about her book,  A 1,000 Mile Walk on the Beach: One Woman’s Trek of the Perimeter of Lake Michigan.  Her talk sounded like it was a very reflective and meditative journey with nature.  A nice read for the winter months.

It’s warm today, a high of 52 degrees…and it’s January 6th.  My garden is confused.  I’ve got daffodils shooting up, English Primrose with flowers budding, and seeds sprouting.  It’ll be interesting to see how the actual Spring fairs with all this growth now, assuming it will be stopped by cold temperatures…maybe?

We just got snow last night and what perfect timing…all the seed catalogs seem to be coming my way with every winter day.  I thought I’d share R.H. Shumway. The old-timey-ness is just plain endearing with little caricatures and drawings throughout.

Flipping through the pages, you get transported into a different time.

Postcards of the past.

A little Chicago squash for ya?

And the last pages bid you farewell with a pleasant view of what your house could be, a swirl of color and scents.

Here in Chicago, we’ve had little to no snow.  None has stuck with temperatures ranging in the 30s and 40s so far this December.  Not bad for Chicago, but let’s take a look at the benefits and non-benefits of snow in relation to our gardens.

Snow, Uh Oh

• Heavy snow can break branches on trees and shrubs.
• Snow cover provides no open ground for birds to search for food.

Snow, Yay

• A thick layer of snow insulates the ground.  Without snow, the soil can thaw and freeze several times and cause the ground to heave, breaking plants fragile root systems.
• Snow keeps moisture in the soil.
• A shimmering layer of snow really enhances a winter scene, providing an outline of last summer’s beauty.  Ornamental grasses and evergreens stand out.
• Snow cover and winter chill add to the silence and offer a time of reflection important for any artist readying him/herself for next year’s grand garden design.

Don’t Forget!

• Provide suet and bird seed for our feathered friends.  It takes lots of calories to stay warm out there.
• Cut up the Christmas tree and lay it as mulch.  Remember, if you already have snow on the ground, don’t lay mulch on top of the snow.

Christmas is just around the corner.   Besides your tree and wreaths, you can add a little nature in your holiday spirit with bark, pine cones, and ornaments made of natural fibers.

Collect curled white birch bark on a winter's walk.

These pinecones came from my friend's farm last year, nice reminder of nature and good friends.

Little animals made of natural fibers.

An owl with feathers of seed pods and rope around the eyes.

Left over yarn from a cowl I made this year, braided and bowed.

These are so beautiful, I had to share.  With instructions from Ordinary Life Magic, add these ice lanterns to your holiday decor!  Collect bits of nature, freeze them in a container, add a smaller container to make the candle’s spot, and keep in the the cold out of doors.  Would be a nice substitution for the paper bags of luminaries.

With the Holiday Season here….what in the world do you get a gardener?

Magazine subscriptions are great.  I look forward to their wise words each month!

• Organic Gardening
• Mother Earth News
• Garden Design

Tools

• Root Vegetable Storage Bin
• Rubber Work Boots or Shoes
• Seed Bon Bons infused with Herb Seeds, cute idea

Houses

• Bird
• Beneficial Bug
• Bat

Health and Beauty

• Candles inspired by garden scents
• Hand lotions and muscle rubs for worn out hands and bodies.  Gardening can be hard work.

To tell you the truth Gardener’s Supply Company,  The Farmer’s Almanac General Store,  and Uncommon Goods will have you looking for hours….happy shopping!

Evergreens provide interest in the coldest time of the year.  Birds find shelter from the bitter winter.   Used for privacy and noise reduction, evergreens are a great addition to landscapes.  You don’t have to think Christmas tree when wanting to add them to your yard.  Sizes and shapes range from ground (think juniper, yew, holly and boxwood) to magnificently tall (your Eastern white pines).  Like any other plant, consider light and soil requirements for your evergreen and plant in late winter/early spring (the University of Minnesota Extension site has very useful information).  Tis the season of evergreens! Look around and enjoy!